Bangkok officials warn of attacks by southern insurgents
AsiaViews, Edition: 24/IV/July/2007
AsiaViews, Edition: 24/IV/July/2007
Thai policemen check security at Rajamangala stadium in Bangkok
Thai officials stepped up security in Bangkok on Wednesday, while warning the public of possible attacks by southern insurgents.
Police Lt-Gen Adisorn Nonsee, the Metropolitan Police Chief, said First Army security officials advised police to increase surveillance on possible insurgents who might be posing as migrant workers.
The warning singled out members of the Muslim Rohingya population, according to a report Tuesday in the Thai newspaper Post Today.
Hundreds of Rohingya have arrived in Thailand by small boats this year, after fleeing their homes in western Burma where they say they are victims of discrimination.
They are usually deported by Thai authorities who fear they may be linked to southern Muslim separatist groups.
Apirak Kosayothin, the governor of Bangkok, said Wednesday people should not panic but to inform authorities if they see suspicious movements. Security has been stepped up in crowded areas such as department stores, sky train and subway stations, and government offices.
Bangkok experienced a series of bomb explosions starting on December 31, 2006, in nine locations in the city and nearby area, which killed three people and injured others.
Patsawat Petchnin, a Bangkok resident, said she accepted tighter security, but added she rarely goes out to public places, particularly at night.
“Nobody knows what will happen next," she said, "because until now the officials still haven't arrested the bombers in the previous incidents.”
Meanwhile, interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and other high level officials are visiting three southern provinces this week to meet with local officials and villagers. They will spend one night in Yala Province, one of the most violence-prone areas.
Since 2004, escalating violence in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani provinces has expanded to Sonkhla Province, claiming the lives of more than 2,400 people.
Currently, 356 suspected insurgents are detained in military camps.On Monday, the Working Group for Justice and Peace, a Bangkok-based rights organization, released a statement urging the government to respect the rights of suspects by allowing them to meet with lawyers and family members.
By Sai Silp
The Irrawaddy, 11 July 2007
